Operating mechanism for multi-vent windows



Oct. 16, 1956 E. F. WILEY OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-VENT WiNDOWS 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 25, 1953 irraen/ir Oct. 16, 1956 E. F. WILEYOPERATING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-VENT wmnows Filed Dec. 25, 195;

4 Shets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. [Iv/0N0 A Mair irraeww Oct. 16, 1956 E. F.WILEY 2,766,491

"OFERKTING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-VENT wmoows Filed Dec. 2:, 195a I I 4Sheets-Sheet s 75-" ,1 INVENTOR. F XWaA/a/T May x I v irraa/viy Oct. 16,1956 E. F. WILEY 2,766,491

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MULTIVENT WINDOWS Filed Dec. 23, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

United States Patent OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-VENT WINDOWS EsmondF. Wiley, Orinda, Calif.

Application December 23, 1953, Serial No. 400,011

8 Claims. (Cl. 20-42) My invention relates to windows including aplurality of vents or panels of the general type shown in my priorPatents No. 2,158,714, issued May 16, 1939, and No. 2,232,297, issuedFebruary 18, 1941. In wood construction, a panel is usually referred toas a sash and in metal construction as a vent. Functionally, the devicesare substantially identical and the term vent is used herein assubstantially equivalent to the term sash. Windows of this kind includea plurality of vents usually superposed with the lower vent beingmovable manually or by power between closed and open position and havingmechanism so that the movement of the lower vent is elfective to producea similar movement in the remaining, upper vents. The precise number ofvents in a window is not material as it varies in practice between twoand four or more. Also, it is not essential that the lower vent be theone which does the controlling, although that is the usual circumstance.

While various mechanisms are available for interconmeeting the variousvents in a multi-vent window for the desired simultaneous or evensequential operation, it occurs in some installations, particularly inPacific islands where wind velocities achieve high values, thatsomething other than the ordinary operating mechanism must be provided.It is desirable to retain the feature of controlling a multi-vent windowby the operation of one of the vents serving as a control vent, yet, inaddition, it is desirable to have a lock not only for the control ventitself but also for each of the additional vents so that when the windowis closed it is firmly secured against dislodgment, either byunauthorized persons or by high wind velocities in either direction,that is, either toward the window from outside or toward the window frominside. It is also highly desirable to provide a multi-vent window inwhich the various vents are positionable at the option of the user, notonly in closed position and in fully opened position, but also in anyintermediate position, with assurance that despite disturbing forces,such I Another object of my invention is to provide in general animproved operating mechanism for multi-vent windows.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for locking all ofthe vents of a multi-vent window when they are in closed positionwithout requiring auxiliary eifort on the part of the operator.

A still further object of my invention ispto provide an operatingmechanism for multi-vent windows in which the open or partially openvents are held in any selected p0- sition despite relatively largedislodging forces.

2,766,491 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 A still further object of my inventionis to provide an minor inaccuracies in manufacture and installation orwhich evolve through wear or use do not adversely affect the intendedoperation of the structure.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in theembodiment of the invention described in the ac-- companying descriptionand illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a multi-vent window provided with anoperating mechanism in accordance with my invention showing the vents inopen position.

Figure 2 is a cross section on a vertical transverse plane indicated bythe line 22 of Figure 1, the vents being closed and parts of the figurebeing broken away to reduce its size.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a vent in partly openposition.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail showing part of the structure of Figures2 and 3 in a jamming or holding position, a part of the figure being incross section.

Figure 5 is a cross section, the plane of which is indicated by the line55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the parts in anunjammed relationship.

Figure 7 is a cross section, the planes of which are indicated by thelines 7-7 of Figure 2, the section being a view from below of part ofthe structure on the opposite side of the frame from that illustrated inFigure 2.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail of part of the latch structure in latchedor locked position.

Figure 9 is a cross section, the plane of which is indicated by the line9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 8 but showing the latchingmechanism in an unlatched position.-

As illustrated herein, there is shown an installation in a building 6having a window frame 7 or base of the customary rectangularconfiguration including the usual jambs and of a size and shape toaccommodate three window vents 8, 9 and 10. The lower vent 8 isconsidered as a control vent, whereas the upper two vents 9 and 10 arefollower vents. The installation can as well include any number of ventsfrom two up and need not be installed in a vertical relationship,although that is the customary one and is the relative location utiilzedfor relationship of parts in the claims.

Each of the vents 8, 9 and 10 is substantially identical with the othersand hence a description of one applies equally to the others. Each ventincludes a frame or sash 12 having a glass pane 13 or similar closuremounted in it in the customary way. On the opposite sides of each of thevents appropriate supporting structures are provided and since these arethe same on one side as on the other, except in some instances forreverse symmetry, a description of the parts on one side applies equallyto those on the other. Secured to the sash 12 at an appropriate locationis a metal hinge bar 14 having one portion extending along the sash andsecured thereto by any appropriate fastening means 16 and having anofiset portion 17 terminating in antear 18.

Since the hinge bar 14 forms a convenient fastening point, although anyother point on the sash 12 is permissible, there is secured thereto anarm 19 comprising a strap, usually of metal, which is connected by apivot 21 at its upper end to the hinge bar 14 and is connected by apivot 22 at its lower end to a plate 23 held by suitable fastenings 24onto the window frame or base 7. Preferably, all of the parts of theoperating mechanism are of non-corrodible material, such as stainlesssteel, aluminum, plastic, and the like, and are appropriately providedwith washers and anti-friction members, not specifically described, inorder that the working of the parts under severe climatic conditionswill not be adversely affected.

To complete the mounting of the vents, the ears 18 are secured bysuitable pivot pins 26 to the various sections of a travel bar,generally designated 27, which operates in a straight path in a verticaldirection within a guide channel or groove 28 formed in the base orframe 7. The guide 28 is somewhat wider than the major portion of thetravel bar, yet serves to hold and confine the bar to a rectilinearlifting and lowering movement. That being so, any movement of one of thevents 8, 9 or 10 serves to produce an equivalent movement of the othervents, the individual vents at their tops moving downwardly and slightlyoutwardly while at their bottoms they move outwardly and upwardly fromclosed toward open position. This is the type of movement which iscustomarily employed in multi-vent windows. Since the lowermost vent 8is the control vent, it is preferably provided with a swing lock 31mounted on the sash 12 by a pivot connection 32. A tongue 33 on the lockis engageable with a lock box 34 in the lower central part of the baseor frame 7 when the window is closed. The lock 31 has a hand portion 36so that the lower vent 8 can readily be moved between open and closedand any intermediate position.

In accordance with my invention, I provide means for permitting freeopening and closing movement of the variout vents by the operator but ofjamming or holding or securing the various vents in any intermediateposition between fully open and fully closed positions against randomdislodgment. For that reason, the travel bar 27 is not a singlecontinuous piece but is rather made up of a plurality of superposedsections 41 and 42 of similar nature and provided with a lost-motionconnection to the adjacent section. As especially shown in Figures 4,and 6, for example, the travel bar section 41 adjacent its upper end isprovided with a projecting headed pin 44 which extends through anelongated slot 46 in a lower slider fixture 47 overlying the travel bar.The fixture 47 is preferably a metal sheet 48 having a planar surfacewith spaced flanged edges 49 and 51 aligned to ride in the guide 28alongside the travel bar sections 41 and 42. The lower slider fixture 47is secured by a rivet 52 to the lower end of the travel bar section 42so that the travel bar section 42 and the lower slider fixture 47operate in unison, whereas the fixture 47 and the travel bar section 41operate in unison only when the pin 44 is at either of the extreme endsof the slot 46. Otherwise, there is lost-motion, to the extent of thelooseness in the slot, so that the travel bar section 41 can moveupwardly, from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown inFigure 6, without moving the lower slider fixture.

While motion is transmitted from the lower slider fixture 47 to thehinge arm 14 in accordance with the movement of the slider bar, there ispreferably provided a cushion of adjustable nature to take care of anydiscrepancies in motion due to manufacture, installation or use. In afashion similar to the lower fixture 47, there is furnished an upperslider fixture 53 comprising a metal plate 54 carrying the pivot pin 26and having a marginal flange 56 operating in the guide 28 like thefianges 49 and 51. Struck out from the plate 54 is a lug 57 exactlymatching a similar lug 58 outstanding from the plate 48.

The lugs 57 and 58 are pierced by aligned apertures 59 and 69 throughwhich a machine screw passes, being retained in adjusted position by anut 62 peened in place after setting. A helical spring 63 surrounds themachine screw and urges the lugs apart. The relative approachingmovement of the lugs 57 and 58 is limited by a metal sleeve 64encompassing the spring 63 and serving as a stop. The space between theend of the sleeve and the adjacent lug 57 is available for yieldingmovement to take care of various motion discrepancies. In effect,therefore, the pivot pin 26 is related to the travel bar pin 44 toprovide substantially a uniform movement with the exception of the freelost-motion connection due to the slot 46 and with the exception of theyielding lostmotion available between the lug 57 and the stop 64. Thus,movement of the travel bar, considered as a whole or in its varioussections, produces uniform movement of a partially yielding nature butwith some lost-motion in the mechanism.

Advantage is taken of the lost-motion interconnection to provide ajamming or holding structure for retaining the various vents in theirselected positions.

For this reason, as especially illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, theupper end of each of the travel bar sections, such as 41 and 42, is cutoff in a transverse, horizontal plane to provide an upper face 71 onwhich a jam block 72 can rest by gravity. The jam block is a rectangularpiece of metal of slightly less width than the width of the guide 27 andis firm and not readily deformed. In one position of the parts, as shownin Figure 6, the jam block 72 rests by gravity on the face 71 of thesubjacent travel bar section, and has a slight clearance with the lowerend of the portion of the travel bar next above, the clearance beingprovided since the lower slider fixture 47 rests upon the pin 44.However, a portion of the jam block 72 is disposed between end walls 74and 76 defining part of a notch 77 cut in the lever slider fixture 47.The height of the notch is such with respect to the height of the slot46 and with respect to the fastening point of the rivet 52 as to assurethat the end wall 74 rests upon the jam block 72 in the position of theparts shown in Figure 6.

When the parts are in another position, as shown in Figure 4, with thelower slider fixture 47 lifted relative to the subjacent section of theslider bar, the end wall 76 rides against one end of the jam block 72and twists or cocks it into a position so that the diagonally oppositecorners of the jam block are adjacent the side walls of the guide 28.Then, any force tending to rotate the hinge bar 14 about the pivot pin26 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 4, produces alifting force on the slider parts 53 and 47 which tends to lift the endwall 76 even more firmly against the jam block 72 and tends to press theupper, right-hand corner of the jam block even more tightly into firmfrictional engagement with the side wall of the guide 28. The block 72acts as a jamming holder to prevent any downward movement of the hingebar 14 due to an outside force. Thus, if the window vent is in openposition, a gust of wind tending to slam the window shut is ineffectivesince the vent cannot, of itself, be moved toward closed position whilethe block 72 is jammed.

This arrangement, however, does not interfere with further opening orclosure of the vents by operation of the control vent 8. When thecontrol vent is moved manually or by power toward closed position, theetfect of its hinge bar 14 is to lift the lower portion 41 of the travelbar. That lifting movement does not produce a simultaneous movement ofthe adjacent, lower slider portion 47 due to the lost-motion connectionof the pin 44 and the slot 46. Rather, the rising travel bar section 41engages first with the lower right-hand corner of the jam block 72 androtates it counterclockwise, as seen in the figures, until it is againin a crosswise position, as shown in Figure 6. In that position of thejam block,

both of its sides are free of the sides of the guide 28. Finally, thebottom of the slot 46 abuts the pin 44 so that, in effect, the travelbar section 41 and the slider sections '47 and 53 are in efiect one unitand serve to move the pivot pin 26 and so rotate the hinge bar 14 intoclosed position.

If the window vents are closed and the travel bar section 41 is moved byopening of the control vent 8 to open the superposed vents, then thetravel bar portion 41 is lowered and the pin 44 travels to the bottom ofthe slot 46. During this time, the weight of the jam block 72 causes itto rest firmly-upon the upper face 71 of the travel bar portion so thatthe block 72 does not cock or twist in its guide but merely travel-sdownwardly with complete freedom. If the jam block is temporarily stuckin the guide 28, it is promptly dislodged by the end wall 74 and isslightly rotated into a free position. With the pin 44 at the end of itstravel, the slider portions 47 and 53 can continue to be lowered and thehinge bar 14 rotates to open the window the desired amount. There isthus provided a scheme for jamming or holding the various vents in anyselected open position which does not, however, interfere in anywisewith the opening of the vents or the closing of the vents bymanipulation of the control vent 8.

Additionally, I provide means for locking the individual vents in closedposition. That structure is particularly illustrated, to an enlargedscale, in Figures 8, 9 and 10. Since all of the latching devices aresimilar and are duplicated on opposite sides of the individual vents, adescription of one of them applies equally to the others. A latching pin81 is firmly fixed at a convenient point in the window sash 12 forengagement by the contoured nose 82 of a lever 83 forming part of alatch, generally designated 84. The latch is mounted on the base orframe 7 by a latch pin 86 affording free pivotal rotation of the latch.The pin 86 is so located that the lever portion 83 is heavier than theremainder of the latch and hence its weight normally tends to causecounterclockwise rotation of the latch 84. When the pin 81 is notpresent to serve as a support, the lever 83 rests against a stop pin 87projecting from the frame 7 for that purpose. When the latch 84 is inthe position shown in Figure 8, the inter-engagement between thecontoured nose 82 and the pin 81 is sufiicient to prevent opening of thevent by force upon the vent itself.

The latch 84 is extended to provide 21 depending portion 88 having anedge 89 of a cam contour merging with a notch 91. The notch is of a sizeconveniently to encompass an actuating or locking pin 92 projecting fromthe adjacent section 42, for example, of the travel bar. When the lowervent 8 is in closed position, the travel bar sections are in theiruppermost locations and the pin 92 resides in the location shown inFigure 8 with the latch pin 81 restrained. When the control vent 8 ismoved toward open position, the initial downward movement of the travelbar section 41 lowers the pin 92 and in so lowering, the pin camsagainst the boundaries of the notch 91, especially as shown in Figure10, and rotates the latch 84 so that the lever 83 and the nose 82 liftout of contact with the latching pin 81 and the window vent is then freefor continued opening movement. The relationship of the parts is suchthat the motion of the travel bar initially is sufficient to lift thelatch lever 83 before substantial force is given to the vent to open it.

As the travel bar continues to lower for further opening movement of thewindow, the pin 92 rides out of the notch 91 and rides over the cam edge89 into a much lower position. As soon as the pin 92 is free of thelatch, the latch pivots by gravity and rests against the pin 87. Uponclosure of the windows, the travel bar section 41 and the pin 92 riseuntil the pin first contacts the latch contour 89 and in so doingrotates the latch clockwise to lift the lever 83 off of the stop pin 87and into a location somewhat comparable to that shown in Figure 10.

As the latch is so lifted, the vent swings into closed position with thelatching pin 81 underlying the contoured nose 82. Because of theresilient lost motion due to the springs 63, the travel bar continues torise slightly after the vent is closed. This final lifting movement ofthe pin 92 causes it to enter into the notch 91 so that the latch canfollow by gravity or, if it tends to stick, the pin 92 cams against theupper boundary of the notch and positively rotates the latch lever 83into a position, as shown in Figure 8, with the latching pin 81appropriately confined and the window vent firmly latched. With thisstructure, the upper vents are always latched shut whenever the lowercontrol vent 8 is closed and if, in that position of the control vent,the lock 31 is also actuated. then the entire window is firmly secured.

While the movement of the parts is relatively free and easy and isnormally attended by only a small amount of friction in the moving parts(in itself suflicient to retain many of the parts against rattling orundue random movement) the friction values vary from time to time andhence, preferably, I provide means for adjustably establishing theamount of friction in the parts. As shown particularly in Figure 9, oneor more of the travel bar sections 41 and 42, being somewhat lesser indepth than the guide 28, is provided on its side adjacent the bottom 1of the guide with a friction shoe 93. This, preferably,

takes the form of a leaf spring pierced at one end to be secured againstthe travel bar section by the riveted end of the latch locking pin 92.The other end of the leaf spring friction shoe 93 is pressed with avariable force against the bottom of the guide 28 by means of an adjusting screw 94 passing through the travel bar section and locked inposition by a nut 96. By appropriately turning and locking the screw 94,there is provided an appropriate amount of friction between the travelbar section and the stationary frame guide and hence the preciseresistance to movement of the operating mechanism can be set orestablished to suit the user and the surrounding operating conditions.

In accordance with my invention, therefore, I have provided an operatingmechanism for multi-vent windows in which all of the vents arecontrolled in accordance with the position of the control vent, in whichall of the vents are provided with latch locks in closed position, inwhich the friction of the mechanism can be set at a desired value, andin which external forces tending to close the open vents are resisted bya jamming mechanism so that the position of the vents is, evenso,-maintained, yet in which the opening and closing movement of thevents is readily effectuated always under the control of the controlvent.

What is claimed is:

1. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windows comprising a base, astraight guide on said base, a travel bar slidable in said guide, ahinge bar adapted to be secured to a vent, a pivot mounting for saidhinge bar on said travel bar, an arm, means for pivoting said arm tosaid base and to said hinge bar, a latch pin on said vent, a latch,means for pivotally mounting said latch on said base in a position toengage and disengage said latch pin, and a locking pin on said travelbar engageable with said latch for pivoting said latch upon movement ofsaid travel bar.

2. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windowsbase in a position toengage and disengage said latch pin,

and a locking pin on said travel bar having a lost-motion connectionwith said latch for pivoting said latch simultaneously with a portion ofthe movement of said travel bar.

3. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windows comprising a base, astraight guide on said base, a travel bar slidable in said guide, avent, a hinge bar adapted to be secured to said vent, a pivot mountingfor said hinge baron said travel bar, an arm, means for pivoting said amto said base and to said hinge bar, a latch pin on said vent, a latch,means for pivotally mounting said latch on said base, a first lever armincluded in said latch and adapted to hook over said latch pin in closedposition of said vent, a stop pin on said base in the path of said firstlever arm, a second lever arm included in said latch and having a camportion merging with a notch, and a locking pin on said travel barengageable with said cam portion and said notch.

4. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windows comprising a base, ahinge bar adapted to be secured to a vent, an arm, means for pivotingsaid arm to said base and to said hinge bar, a straight guide on saidbase, a travel bar slidable in said guide and having a transverse upperface, a slider overlying said travel bar and slidable in said guide,means for pivotally connecting said hinge bar and said slider, alost-motion connection between said slider and said travel bar, a jamblock in said guide and adapted to rest on said face, and means on saidslider for lifting one end of said jam block from said face.

5. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windows comprising a base, ahinge bar adapted to be secured to a vent, an arm, means for pivotingsaid arm to said base and to said hinge bar, a straight guide on saidbase, a travel bar slidable in said guide, a slider overlying saidtravel bar and slidable in said guide, means for pivotally connectingsaid hinge bar and said slider, a lost-motion connection between saidslider and said travel bar, and means operated by said lost-motionconnection for preventing motion of said slider in said guide in onedirection.

6. An operating mechanism for multi-vent windows comprising a base, ahinge bar adapted to be secured to a vent, an arm, means for pivotingsaid arm to said base and .to said hinge bar, a guide on said base, atravel bar slidable in said guide, a slider slidable in said guide,means for pivotally connecting said hinge bar and said slider, means forjamming said slider in said guide, and means depending upon relativemovement of said slider and said travel bar for preventing said jammingof said slider in said guide.

7. An operating mechanism for rnulti-vent windows comprising a base, ahinge bar adapted to be secured to a vent, an arm, means for pivotingsaid arm to said base and to said hinge bar, a guide on said base, atravel bar slidable in said guide, a slider slidable in said guide,means for pivotally connecting said hinge bar and said slider, means forpreventing movement of said slider in said guide in one direction, andmeans operated by said travel bar for blocking the operation of saidpreventing means.

8. An operating mechanism for multi-sash window structure comprising apair of jambs, a pair of hinge bars adapted to be secured to a windowsash, a pair of arms, means for pivoting one of said arms to one of saidjambs and to one of said hinge bars, means for pivoting the other ofsaid arms to the other of said jambs and to the other of said hingebars, a pair of guides disposed one on said one of said jambs and theother on said other of said jambs, a pair of travel bars, one of saidtravel bars being slidable in said one of said guides and the other ofsaid travel bars being slidable in said other of said guides, a pair ofsliders, one of said sliders being slidable in said one of said guidesand the other of said sliders being slidable in said other of saidguides, means for pivot-ally connecting said one of said hinge bars tosaid one of said slides, means for pivotally connecting said other ofsaid hinge bars to said other of said sliders, a pair of jam blocks, oneof said jam blocks being disposed in said one of said guides formovement between a first position jamming said one of said sliders insaid one of said guides and a second position freely slidable in saidone of said guides, the other of said jam blocks being disposed in saidother of said guides for movement between a first position jamming saidother of said sliders in said other of said guides and a second positionfreely slidable in said other of said guides, means depending uponrelative movement of said one slider and said one travel bar frorholding said one of said pair blocks in said second position, and meansdepending upon relative movement of said other slider and said othertravel bar for holding said other of said pair blocks in said secondposition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

